THE CASE AGAINST
JUNE DIMAGGIO IN THE MEDIA
AND
ROBERT OTTO'S MARILYN MONROE COLLECTION
by Mark Bellinghaus
Marilyn Monroe died in 1962. The first charge of murder and conspiracy surfaced less than two years later, but the exploitation began almost immediately and continues to this day.
There is a bewildering flood of merchandise approved by the CMG Worldwide licensing company: dolls, plates, statuettes, wine, jewelry, playing cards, etc, etc. These items constitute at least 75% of the items displayed in the Marilyn Monroe Exhibit now on the Queen Mary ocean liner in Long Beach. That sort of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia is all over and easy to purchase, for very little money, on eBay.
However, there have been various bona fide auctions offering documented items that Marilyn Monroe wore or owned—the most notable being the “Happy Birthday” gown which sold for $1,267,500 at the 1999 Christie’s auction (which took in a total of $13.4 million).
It is because Marilyn posed for so many photos . . . gave so many interviews . . . made so many phone calls . . . and had so much was written about her—that we now have a clear picture of her likes and dislikes, her lovers and friends, her dreams and nightmares. We don’t have to guess about many personal things: they’re documented. She told us. Because so much of her life is in the loving hands of collectors and in archives and museums—we can read the letters she wrote, we can look at her telephone directory and see who her friends were. We know that she shopped at Jax because we have the garments she bought (the labels still intact). We have photos of her wearing the dresses she bought. And we have the cancelled checks she paid with.
The exhibit at the Queen Mary is described as “the largest private collection of Marilyn Monroe objects ever assembled.” It is the property of Robert Otto, president of Marilyn Monroe Exhibits, who puts the value of the collection at $10 Million! In my opinion, the value is not higher than $25,000! It has been announced that this exhibit -- with, in my opinion, a 98.9% fraudulent collection -- will travel around the world for the next 12 years. Currently, they charge $22.95 per person on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. We have witness statements that Mr. Otto has no idea and no knowledge about the life and career of Marilyn Monroe and yet he is presented by CMG Worldwide on the official Marilyn Monroe website as “a renowned international collector and historical expert on America’s foremost icon and treasure, Marilyn Monroe.”! He also bought many items using the screen name “Pinkdoodledandy” from questionable Sellers on eBay– against whom the FBI is investigating.
Only a very few (8 to 10) of the “personally owned” items displayed on the Queen Mary can be documented. The others are surely not authentic. One of Mr. Otto’s “highlights” is a case with hair rollers, made by Clairol. However, I found in my research that this particular model was not made before 1974! He claims that the hair, which is attached to the curlers, is Marilyn Monroe’s – but how could this be possible if the rollers were made 12 years after her passing?! Most of the items are of a gaudy style that was never seen on Marilyn.
Ninety percent of the personal items in the exhibit are said to have been obtained from June DiMaggio, who identifies herself as a niece of Joe DiMaggio, and a close friend of Marilyn Monroe. (She claims that her mother Lee was Marilyn’s very closest friend, was on the phone with Marilyn the night she died, and knows who killed her -- but would never tell.)
Anna Strasberg, the owner and head of the Estate of Marilyn Monroe, failed to preserve the largest collection ever when she sold Marilyn Monroe’s belongings (which since Ms. Monroe’s death, were stored for nearly 4 decades in New York City) in the biggest and most publicized live auction in the history of mankind in November of 1999 at Christie’s New York. Robert Otto was present at the historic auction, accompanied by Mark Roesler. Mr. Otto did not purchase any items at the 1999 Christie’s auction.
It is obvious to me that the Otto Collection is attempting to make many of his items look like those sold in that historic auction. I can pinpoint the mistakes they made in the creation of those items, which are visible to the trained eye. Furthermore, I cannot understand why Mrs. Strasberg has given her blessing to this exhibit, working hand-in-hand with the powerful CMG Worldwide and Mark Roesler, CMG’s Chairman and CEO. (Interestingly, CMG Worldwide also represents the Estate of Joe DiMaggio.) Although Mrs. Strasberg has remained in the shadows (she failed to show for the opening of the exhibit), she allows Mr. Roesler to present online interviews of Mr. Otto and June DiMaggio on his website and promotes the exhibit (with links to the exhibit’s pages) on the main page of the official Marilyn Monroe website (www.marilynmonroe.com). A very big deal – amounting to priceless advertising and an implied endorsement of Mr. Otto’s Collection!
June DiMaggio’s story is to be published in full in her book Marilyn, Joe and Me, as told to Mary Jane Popp (a former actress, radio host and infomercial presenter). This duo has been trying to publish their allegations together in book form for quite some time now. However, this book was formerly titled: There Is Another DiMaggio -- Telling It Like It Was, and was due for release in early 2005. Robert Otto is involved in this book project.
JUNE DIMAGGIO IS NOT WHO SHE SAYS SHE IS
• She offers no details, no photos, no records, and no documentation of any kind.
• Four different telephone, address, and date books belonging to Marilyn Monroe have been sold since the 1999 Christie’s auction. I have contacted the two different owners of these important documents and they searched through all of the books; resulting in two statements, that a “June DiMaggio” or a “Lee DiMaggio” are not to be found in any of those books in any way. Joe DiMaggio and Joe Jr. (his son) are present in all of them!
• Since her death, there have been more books printed about Marilyn Monroe—hundreds of them! —than of any other personality in modern times. June is nowhere mentioned. She is nowhere mentioned in the numerous books on Joe DiMaggio either.
• June DiMaggio claims to have been at the wedding of Marilyn and Joe, in San Francisco’s City Hall. A story in The Chronicle described the wedding and listed “the select group inside the judge’s chambers”: Frank (Lefty) O’Doul, former manager of the Seals, and his wife, and DiMaggio’s brother Tom and his wife Lee. This account proves the existence of Lee DiMaggio . . . and the lying of June.
• June DiMaggio claims to have been at the funeral of Marilyn—a service that kept out many of Hollywood's biggest stars—because Joe DiMaggio limited the mourners to 30 people: Marilyn’s very closest friends and family. The 30 attendees have been listed and identified in various books (including The Ultimate Marilyn), and are seen in many photos, including those taken by Life photographer Leigh Weiner and freelancer Gene Anthony.
• In her story in the December, 2005 Playboy, June states that she rode in the limousine with Joe DiMaggio and Joe Jr. But there are photos of the father and son arriving in the limousine, and then later walking in the small procession. June is not there.
• We have the testimony/recollection of Allan Abbott, a funeral director who was called in to assist the undertaker for Marilyn’s funeral. He was also one of the pallbearers. At Joe DiMaggio’s orders, Allan Abbott was stationed at the door of the chapel to check names against the guest list and to hand out the memorial program. Alan Abbott swears that June DiMaggio was not on the guest list, and that she was not present.
• When a reporter friend of mine approached June DiMaggio and asked about photos, she stated that she had none. Marilyn Monroe was known for posing with anyone: children, strangers, cops, passers-by—always with a friendly smile. It is unbelievable that June DiMaggio would not have photos of herself with her famous uncle.
• June has told her version of Marilyn’s last day in Playboy and on various news programs. She states that Marilyn called and requested an anchovy pizza, and June made it for her. But we know from the published autopsy report that Marilyn ate nothing that day.
• Improbably—and outrageously—June says she went to Marilyn’s house early the next morning to reclaim her pizza pan, letting herself into the house with her own key. But police reports and crystal-clear photos tell another story. The house was a crime scene: after her body was removed the house was sealed. No one could have entered.
• And wouldn’t there have been police and reporters and gawkers and neighbors and photographers?
Most Damning:
• We were able to locate Dom DiMaggio, the last surviving member of the large family. He stated that he has no idea where June DiMaggio came from, but was emphatic that she was not the daughter of his brother.
In closing, we can prove that “MARILYN MONROE: THE EXHIBIT” represents profits on false representation, under the California Business & Prof Code, Section 17200, UCL CLAIM Unfair Competition Law. It is extremely urgent and necessary to shut this exhibit down immediately.
Mark Bellinghaus
February, 6th 2006
Mark Bellinghaus owns one of the most extensive and important Marilyn Monroe collections, which includes movie costumes, personal clothing, jewelry, cosmetics, books, documents, autographs, cancelled checks and other personal items. He has most of the Mexican furniture from her Brentwood home, including five paintings. Every item is fully documented.
Additional material for this document was supplied by Ernest Cunningham, author of The Ultimate Marilyn, and by Erik Marsters, investigator and researcher.
Mark Bellinghaus www.mmfraud.com mailg4@gmail.com
